10 Stories of the Decade

The Boston Globe recently ranked the top 10 news stories of the past decade:

10) Mapping of the human genome
After 13 years and just under $3 billion, government-sponsored scientists successfully mapped the human genome in 2003, identifying human genetic variations that may be the key to treating disease.

9) The rise of Google and new media
In 2000, Google became the world’s largest search engine and its name became a verb. The rise of social networking sites like Wikipedia, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter soon followed.

8) Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast Aug. 29, 2005, devastating New Orleans and, as the levees failed and the darkened city flooded, plunging the city into a period of civil disorder that shocked America.

7) Death of John Paul II; selection of Pope Benedict
Pope John Paul II reinvented the papacy during his 26-year reign, visiting more than 120 countries and reaching out to the world’s religious leaders as an advocate for human rights and religious tolerance.

6) The 2000 election
Americans learned the hard way that every vote counts when a tight presidential race and confusion over Florida’s election results spawned five weeks of ballot recounts that ended with a Supreme Court ruling in 2000 and the inauguration of President George W. Bush.

5) The ascension of China
China’s steady economic growth throughout the decade and resurgence as world finance leader was punctuated by the summer 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, even as some protested the event due to the country’s human rights abuses. China now holds $800 billion in US debt.

4) The War in Afghanistan
In the wake of 9/11, Congress authorized the use of force against Al Qaeda and the search for Osama bin Laden.

3) The War in Iraq
The war has so far cost more than 4,000 American lives and proved to be politically damaging for Republicans as well as Democrats.

2) The Election of Barack Obama
President Obama’s election as the first African-American president of the United States removed one of the most symbolic racial barriers in the country while reflecting the nation’s deep desire for change after eight years of George W. Bush in the White House.

1) Septemeber 11th
The attacks by Al Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, claimed 2,752 lives and brought home to American soil large-scale terrorism.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/gallery/international_national_news_stories_of_decade/